Saturday, November 06, 2010

Library Saturday

Nothing like spending a Saturday afternoon at the library. I've spent a lot of time in libraries this last year, due to my lack of internet at my apartment. Yes, I know. How do I live like that? You wouldn't survive long without internet, yes I know. :) Can you tell I've answered that question a lot? Surprisingly, living without the internet isn't as bad as it sounds. I've spent a lot more time in libraries, coffee shops (lots of hot chocolate :)), and McDonald's (free wi-fi there) than I might have otherwise, and yes, it's annoying not to be able to research or look up things right away, but it's been sort of liberating to be free from the constant presence of facebook, google, etc. I kind of enjoy just thinking, or picking up a book. The experiment is soon coming to a close, however. I've realized that despite my new-found freedom from technology, it's probably more work in the long-run to have to go to coffee shops and libraries all the time when I just need to "look something up." But, I hope that I can take some of the things I learned during this time with me as I step back into the land of 24/7 internet access and retain some of that quiet time.

But I digress.

This post was really supposed to be about how much I love the library. Right now I'm in the Milwaukee Public Library, and the building is pretty impressive in and of itself. But no matter the place, libraries just have some pretty great things in common.

1. Random, interesting books that I never would have thought to write or read, but now I want to. I love finding books on anything and everything. And I love how the librarians seems to know exactly which books to display that I'll want to browse through. A book on green jobs? Surfboards? Why not?

2. Interesting people. There seems to be a nice cross-section of humanity in a library, and I enjoy seeing everyone here, whatever their reasons. I like being with the people.

3. Quiet. I love that it's some sort of unspoken rule to keep quiet in the library. A guy walked by a few minutes ago, loudly talking on his cell, but generally, it's pretty darn quiet in here. I love it. A place you can read and think and just be.

4. The way time seems to stand still. I'm not sure what it is about a library or a museum, but when I'm in them, it seems as if I've stepped into some sort of timeless place, where I'm free to ponder the world, my life, ideas, places . . . without interruption. I don't seem to notice the hours go by—I could spend a whole day in a library and not really tire. Yet, after about an hour doing just about anything else, I'm totally ready to move on to something different. Strange.

I used to think it was pretty nerdy to love libraries, and it still might be, but I can't help it. Go to the library :)

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Victorious!

Yay! The $18 Parmesan cheese paid off. I won the "Veggie" dip category, and here's a pic of me with my "trophy" (a bucket filled with fake plastic veggies). There were a lot of delicious dips (20-30) and 4 categories... Tailgate, Veggie, TBD (To Be Determined... a mix of random dips), and Sweet. I didn't have time to prepare the entire dip that morning, so I brought my supplies to work, and I had to get out a cutting board and chop some artichoke hearts at my desk.


I can't take too much credit--this recipe was one that my aunt Catherine made at our house once several years ago, and I used a modification of the following recipe for the contest:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quick_and_easy_artichoke_dip/

I add a clove of crushed garlic, too. Yum... so simple, but very tasty. Thanks Aunt Cate for your inspiration!

Also, I might post the other dip winners, stay tuned.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Parmesan on my mind...

Tonight I ventured to the east side of Milwaukee and made a stop at Whole Foods. And I was out of groceries. And I happened to be hungry. A dangerous combination. I grabbed a plate of hot food from their carry-out area and ate a tasty meal (I even tried a cube of tofu--not my favorite, I discovered) and set out to get some groceries. I walked up and down aisle after beautiful aisle, admiring the sparkling floors and neatly stocked shelves and eyeing all of the delicious food options. I did pretty well--in terms of holding myself back--mostly buying produce and some lactose-free milk (I think I might be lactose intolerant, but that's another story). 

But, I made one ridiculous splurge. $18 for a wedge of aged Parmesan. The reason? Well, for one, it looked beautiful. I didn't know Parmesan could look beautiful until I saw this table stocked with Parmesan the last time I was in the store. Imported from Italy, aged for over 24 months, a warm, pale yellow... I knew it was just what I needed.

You see, this week is the "Dip-Off" at work. We're each submitting our best dip recipe for the masses to sample and then deem the winner. I signed up with determination, with last February's chili cook-off in mind. It had been a disaster. I tried to make a white chicken chili, but I didn't have a recipe--I just winged it, and it was much more like soup than chili. I was the only one I know of who received no votes. Sad. I knew that I hadn't put my best effort into the chili cook-off, and feeling humbled, I knew next time I'd have to bring my A-game.

And thus, the $18 Parmesan. This time, I'm making an artichoke dip, and I'm determined to prove myself to my co-workers. I even invested in a crock pot (a good excuse to buy one anyway) and best yet, I'm actually following a tried-and-true recipe (with a little bit of modifying, of course). All I have to say is that this Parmesan better be good.

I'll keep you posted.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Day Off

Today I am taking a much-needed day off of work. I have so much I've been meaning to catch up on... you know, those things that have to get done but you're always too tired to do when you get home from work? I'm going to marathon-it for the next day and try to get my life as much in order as possible. And, at some point during the day, I will give you guys a decent post. My blog, unfortunately, has been one of the neglected parts of my life. Not that ya'll are waiting on pins and needles anyway :-) Ha, there are plenty of other things to do than read my random thoughts and life experiences. But, for those I don't see much, and just for fun, I do want to get back in the habit again. Have a great Monday, everyone!